This invention relates to apparatus for processing film.
One diagnostic method which is increasingly employed in hospitals, utilizes a wide film strip to record a sequence of x-ray images during a medical procedure. Typically, 105 millimeter film is utilized which may not have sprocket holes along the edges, and the images extend to nearly the edges of the film. The exposed film is usually processed in a leaderless roll machine that is designed primarily for sheet film. Such processing can harm the film in that the rollers which must firmly grasp the film to move it through the machine, often produce small areas of damage to the film emulsion, which is especially detrimental where the images are small. The emulsion is highly susceptible to scratching when it is being developed, but becomes resistant to damage after development and drying. A processing machine which could move a film strip in an accurately controlled manner through tanks of processing chemicals with minimal damage to the film emulsion would permit the developing of film strips so they had very clear images even in a hospital environment.